Badlands Speedway Saga Continues as Auction Is Suspended

After being professionally involved with Huset's Speedway for over two decades, I am simply amazed at all that has transpired since my phone rang late one evening in the Spring of 2015.

The phone call was to inform me of the race track being purchased by Chuck Brennan. At the time, I was working for the Rubin family who currently owned Huset's Speedway.

The marketing of the track was my business, and I was in the middle of laying out all the promotions for the fast approaching 2015 racing season.

I was informed that the ownership change would take place at the end of the 2015 season. And all of my contracts for 2015 that I had put together would remain in tact, but not to write anything beyond 2015.

This all made sense and I was good with it and moved forward. I soon completed some serious soul searching, and came to the conclusion that I had reached a point in my life that I wanted to retire from all what I was doing in the racing business and have more time for my family.

I announced I would step down at the end of 2015. At the same time the Huset's name came down and new owners with new plans moved in. I'm still good with all this at this point as I moved on with no regrets, good piece of mind and hoping the best for all the new people involved with the track.

From that point on is where the amazement kicks in. The track was open and operating. Then it was closed. Next it opened up again. Then racing was suspended because of various things, most notably the outcome of an election.

Then the facility just sat empty, something I never could have imagined back in the days of spectacular racing events that we worked. Then breaking news came out of an auction that was set to take place where someone was going to get to buy the track turn key.

After experiencing all the mystery of who may become the new owner right up to less than a week from the auction date, word comes out that the auction has been suspended. The reason for this twist now, has to do with county zoning laws.

The current owners of the race track have been informed by Minnehaha County that no racing events will be allowed to run until a conditional use permit is successfully obtained. This is due to the fact that no races have been held for over one year. They are calling the track abandoned. See full statement from Badlands Motor Speedway.

At this point, the future of the legendary race track is definitely uncertain to say the least.